Page 1 of Alarick (King's Descendants MC 1)
PROLOGUE
NOW – BRIELLA
“How are you feeling, Briella?”
I stare at Dr. Peterson who is looking at me from over the top of his glasses, his head tipped forward, his expression kind. He’s tall, with greying hair and gentle brown eyes. He’s always wearing the same lab coat with the same coffee stain, and yet it makes you feel like you know him just a little better. If you could pick a doctor, it would be him. He makes you feel like you’re going to be okay, like everything in the world isn’t as scary as it seems when you’re sitting in his office receiving bad news.
Do they teach that in medical school?
How to make people feel like their world isn’t crumbling around them when they receive bad news?
I bet they do.
I bet he aced that class, because without him I never would have handled the news he dealt to me only a week earlier.
“I’m okay,” I tell him. “To be honest, I feel … normal. I mean, I get headaches but nothing that is any different to my usual ones.”
He nods, writing something down on his laptop before looking back at me. “That’s all normal for this stage, but as your tumor grows, those headaches will get worse. You may also experience numbness, paralysis in one side, vision loss, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting, just to name a few.”
“Wow,” I murmur. “Hit me right with the ugly details, Doc.”
He chuckles. “It’s my job, I’m afraid. Are you getting any sleep?”
I shrug and nod. “Yeah, I am sleeping well. Like I said, right now, I feel normal. Like there is nothing going on inside me, you know? If I didn’t come in here and get all those tests, I’d probably think I just had a virus that was causing more headaches than normal. Is that how this is supposed to feel?”
He nods. “For a while, yes. A lot of people have these things and don’t know, but you found yours early enough that you shouldn’t have any long-term damage from it. Provided you follow my advice and have it removed as soon as possible. The longer you leave it, the worse it’ll get, and you’ll be putting your life at risk.”
Right.
My life.
Nothing major.
Exhale.
“Again with the hitting me with the horrible truth.”
He smiles, warmly. He does that a lot. Like he thinks my sarcastic personality is enjoyable. I cross my arms and lean back in the chair, staring out the window at the blue sky that we haven’t seen for quite a few days now.
Rain always finds a way of showing up when you don’t want it. Like a dark cloud that drags you down.
God.
I’m making myself crazier, I swear.
“Have you spoken to your family about this yet?”
I snort, softly, so it’s still lady like. “No. My mom is dead.”
He blinks, shocked. “She’s dead?”
“Yes, dead. Gone. I lost her five years ago. My father died when I was just a baby.”
“Do you have siblings?”
“A sister, and two step siblings,” I mumble.
“Are you close with any of them?”
I exhale, crossing my arms. “I am with my sister, when she’s not driving me crazy. The other two, once, yeah. We were close. Not so much anymore. When my mom died, I just … I didn’t deal. I stayed with them and I just felt so broken. Things went bad, I suppose, it’s a long story. I ran one day, it just, got too much and I haven’t spoken to them since. But, you’ll be glad to hear I’m going home. I kind of have to. My sister is … in some trouble and well, I want to sort that out before I get this surgery.”
“I wouldn’t recommend waiting long, Briella. Your symptoms will only proceed to get worse, and, as I said …”
“Yeah, my life, I get it. But, if I don’t go and fix this, and something goes wrong in my surgery, she’s going to be left with nobody. I’m all she has left. I’ll go, I won’t be long, and I’ll break the news when I’m there.”
He nods. “I’d like you to keep in contact, find a doctor there so I’m able to keep your blood work and scans up to date. You can’t go without getting checks. If anything, and I mean anything, starts to get worse, you need to come back immediately. Please understand that this is dangerous, and it could change at any moment.”
“I know,” I say softly. “I know that.”
“I’ll be ready for you when you return.”
I sigh. “Doc?” I ask, standing and gathering a bunch of scripts he’s given me, mostly for pain relief.
“Yeah?”
“The surgery, it’s dangerous, right?”
He looks to me, and then stands and slides his glasses off. “It is. The tumor is located on a difficult part of the brain, but not impossible. There are a lot of risks, but it is growing and if we don’t go in and remove it, or at least try, it’ll eventually paralyze you, or worse …”
